Greek Pasta Salad

Greek Pasta Salad is the perfect summer side dish. It’s easy to prep ahead, with hearty pasta, fresh veggies, and Greek flavors like feta and Kalamata olives.

If you enjoy this Greek recipe, check out some other favorites: Greek Salad, perfect Chicken Gyros and homemade Tzatziki Sauce. 

An Easy Greek Pasta Salad

I LOVE Greek food. Especially on a warm day. I like to eat it outside, feel the sun on my face, the breeze in my hair, and imagine I’m on a terrace in Santorini. Just me? Hmmmm. Well a girl can dream. But, she can also try to recreate her international favorites at home! There’s nothing wrong with pretending.

One thing I love about Greek food is that the flavors are vibrant but also simple and easy to find. Like rich extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon, and salty feta and kalamata olives. I love Greek spices so much, I always have my own homemade Greek seasoning blend on hand. It’s got garlic, oregano, basil, parsley, marjoram, thyme, and more!

This pasta salad has everything I love about Greek food, I’ll just have to keep imagining that view. 

Recipe Ingredients

For this pasta salad, you’ll need pasta, Greek dressing, loads of veggies, and salty olives and cheese!

Get the full list, right here:

• uncooked pasta – I like to use fusilli or rotini!
• extra-virgin olive oil
• red wine vinegar
• lemon juice
• homemade Greek seasoning
• grape tomatoes
• red onion
• English cucumber
• marinated artichoke hearts
• Kalamata olives
• crumbled feta cheese

How to Make Greek Pasta Salad

1. Pasta: Cook the pasta according to package directions, in salted water for more flavor. Allow it to cool slightly and toss it with a little water or olive oil to prevent sticking.

2. Dressing: Place the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice and greek seasoning into a jar. Put the lid on and shake to mix the dressing ingredients together. Set aside.

3. Combine: In a large bowl, toss together the cooked pasta, tomatoes, onion, cucumber, artichoke hearts, and olives.

4. Dress: Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Taste to see if you need more greek seasoning or salt. Add additional seasonings if desired.

5. Chill: Refrigerate your pasta salad until you’re ready to serve it – I personally think it tastes better if the pasta salad is left to soak up all the flavor for a few hours in the fridge.

6. Top: Sprinkle the crumbled Feta cheese on top, before serving!.

Tips for the Best Greek Pasta Salad

Pasta salad is so good when it’s done just right but it can also turn out – well, not so great. Follow these simple tips to ensure your pasta salad is fresh, bright, and perfect!

• Be careful not to overcook the pasta. You want your pasta to be al dente. Your pasta will continue to absorb liquid once it’s dressed, so if you cook it until it is done, it will be over done by the time you serve your pasta salad. Overdone pasta is the #1 culprit in a bad pasta salad, so be vigilant! Stop cooking your pasta just before it is done.
• I suggest English cucumbers in this pasta salad recipe because they are crisp and have far less seeds than other cucumber varieties. This makes them perfect for a pasta salad. They are less likely to get soggy and slimy and wont contribute as much moisture to the salad.
• If you don’t love feta cheese – what’s wrong with you?! Just kidding, kind of. But seriously, you can swap the feta cheese for any soft cheese, really. One option is to go with instead is a good crumbled goat cheese.
• If you can’t find or don’t love Kalamata olives, you can leave them out or swap them for other varieties. I also love Sicilian olives because they are dark and briny, too.

Serving Suggestions

Pasta salad is the perfect barbecue, potluck or cookout side dish! It’s got carbs, fresh veggies, and cheese. I love to serve  pasta salad with hot dogs and hamburgers. Try these Greek Turkey Burgers for a perfect combo.

This Greek pasta salad also goes great with this juicy marinated Greek chicken – Chicken Souvlaki. That Chicken Souvlaki is great for gyros, but is also amazing served up with a heaping helping of pasta salad instead!

How to Store this Salad

You can store your leftover pasta salad in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 3 days. I actually think it tastes great on day two or three. The pasta has soaked in some that dressing and each bite is bursting with flavor. Before enjoying the leftover pasta salad, you may want to toss it with a bit more of fresh dressing as the pasta will absorb some of the dressing as it sits.

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